298 



[April 1908. 



GUMS, RESINS, SAPS AND EXUDATIONS. 



REVIEW. 



By E. Ule. 



Kau tschukgewinnung xmd Kautschuk- 

 handel in Bahia. 



Notizblatt des Konigl. botanisches Gar- 

 tens und Museums zu Berlin-Dahlem, Vol. 

 V., No. 41a, 25th January, 1908, pp. 1-52. 



Brazil still leads the way among 

 rubber-producing countries. In the first 

 place it still possesses vast forests of 

 Hevea — the foremost among rubber 

 plants for crop and quality. Consider- 

 able quantities are also obtained from 

 Hancomia speciosa, gom, a member of 

 the Apoeynaceee, as well as from the 

 Euphoriacean genus Manihot, growing 

 in the North-East and in the interior. 



Hitherto, attention has chiefly been 

 paid to a single rubber-producing species 

 of Manihot — Al. (ilaziovii, the Ceara 

 rubber tree. Al. Viulacea, described a 

 few years a^o, is a herbaceous plant and 

 yields but little caoutchouc. 



Bearing all these different plants in 

 mind, a considerable proportion of the 

 rubber crop of Brazil remains unac- 

 counted for. And this is to be attributed 

 to the yield from the so-called Manicoba 

 species of Manihot. A general account 

 of these by Dr. Ule appeared in the form 

 of a translation in the last number of the 

 Tropical Agriculturist. The paper now 

 uuder review contains a still more 

 elaborate account, with exact scientific 

 descriptions and drawings and photo- 

 graphs of the different species included 

 under the general term Manicoba. 



These are three in number and have 

 been named by Dr. Ule Manihot dicho- 

 toma, Al. heptaphylla and Al. piauhyensis 

 respectively. A map is given showing 

 the distribution of these species in 

 Eastern Brazil. From this we find that 

 M. dichotoma occupies an apparently un- 

 important area in Bahia. Si. heptaphylla 

 occurs also in Bahia occupying a larger 

 aiea further inland on the right bank of 

 the Rio Sao Francisco, whilst M, piau- 

 hyensis, as its name implies, is found in 

 the province of Piauhy. 



Dr. Ule's paper is divided into the 

 following chapters : — 

 I. Introduction. 

 II. Bahia and its Vegetation. 



III. The distribution of the various 



rubber plants. 



IV. Diagnosis of the new Manihot 



species. 



V. Thej harvesting and yield of 

 rubber. 



VI. The country and its inhabitants. 

 VII. Plantations of rubber 1 . 

 Of these chapters I, II, III, IV, and 

 ¥11 are already very fully summarised in 



Ule's former paper. Additional matter of 

 interest is afforded in chapters V. and VI. 



In Chapter V. the following tables are 

 given :— 



T-, , , j j Rubber from Bahia, together 



Rubber produced ^ ^ transporte ' d th s rough 



ln a la ' the Province. 



Tons. Total. Manicoba. Mangabeira. 



1901 ... 50 



1902 ... 140 — — — 



1903 ... 344 828 496 355 



1904 ... 892 1,274 939 416 



1905 ... 1,142 1,681 1,444 261 



1906 ... 1,157 1,756 1,410 263 



II.— Mangabeira and Manicoba from 

 the Whole of Brazil,. 





Mangabeira. 



Manicoba. 



Total. 



1903 



662 



1,722 



2,383 



1901 



855 



2,226 



3,081 



1905 



637 



2,682 



3,319 



1906 



653 



2,664 



3,317 



The total output of rubber from South 

 America for 1906 is estimated at 40,000 

 tons— more than half the world's total 

 production. 



With regard to the relative value of 

 the three kinds, rubber from Manihot 

 heptaphylla was valued at 2s. 9d. to 3s. 

 per pound. M. piauhyensis at 4s. Id., and 

 M. dichotoma at 4s. 3d. to 4s. 6d., at a 

 time when Para rubber stood at 4s. 9d. 

 a pound. 



Further points of importance in con- 

 nection with the rubber industry relate 

 to the country itself and its inhabitants. 

 The population of the province of Bahia 

 is estimated at two millions, by far the 

 greatest number being negroes and 

 Mulattos, But since the emancipation 

 of the slaves in 1888 the difficulty of 

 getting adequate labour has been con- 

 siderable. Transport is rendered easy by 

 various lines of railway and steamers 

 which ply upon the Rio Sao Francisco. 

 On the whole the author fortells a erreat 

 future for these rubber trees in Brazil; 

 and believes that they may be planted 

 with advantage in other countries in 

 comparatively dry and unproductive 

 areas not suitable for Hevea. 



JIQU1E MANICOBA RUBBER. 



In an article which appeared iu the 

 last number but one of the Agricultural 

 News (Vol. VI, p. 333), mention was made 

 of a rubber-producing tree known as 

 Jiquie Manicoba, which occurs in great 

 quantity in the Brazilian State of Bahia, 

 but does not appear to be much known 

 elsewhere. The rubber yielded by this 

 tree, which is a species of Manihot, is 

 stated to be of excellent quality, and 

 fully equal to the best product of the 

 Para region. 



